Kids that are bullies generally grow up to be adults who are bullies. This is why many people feel like going to work is comparable to their 4 years of high school. The problem with workplace bullying, however, is that it tends to be subtle and passive aggressive, so it can be overlooked, ignored, or dismissed by many, allowing the bully to leave a destructive path behind them.

There are ways you can stand up for yourself so you can stop the workplace bullying without being a bully in return. Which of these options could help you take control of your office environment?

#1. Take a step back.

Sometimes workplace bullying is excused because we feel like we’re being overly sensitive to a situation or someone triggers a defensive mechanism within us unintentionally. Misinterpretation of a comment or an action may not be bullying, but having someone single you out and intentionally try to harm you in some way is almost always bullying. Confirm first that you are seeing the situation accurately.

#2. Don’t be an easy target.

Bullies pick on easy targets because there isn’t much of a chance they will fight back. If you huddle in your office and allow the bully to tear you down, it’s just going to keep happening. Be polite, but also be firm, and tell the workplace bully that their actions are professionally unacceptable. Tell them they are being inappropriate. Stay calm, stay out of an argument, and set clear boundaries. Do that a few times in a row and most workplace bullies are going to leave you alone.

#3. Document everything.

If you don’t write something down, then it doesn’t really exist. If you have a workplace bully bothering you, then document the interactions you have with this person. Mention everything said and done, along with whatever your response happened to be. Note the date and time these things happen. If the workplace bully goes to your boss and tries to say that you’re conducting yourself inappropriately, this documentation becomes a way to protect your paycheck.

#4. Talk with an HR, union, or management representative.

Sometimes you might be seen as the easiest mark in the office for a workplace bully even when you do stand up for yourself. If you have your documentation in order, talk with a representative that will have your best interests at heart. Getting additional representatives involved won’t necessarily stop the bullying behavior right away, but it will give you some additional legal options if the situation should escalate for some reason because you’ve reported the situation.

#5. Change your environment.

Bullying that doesn’t stop will add a lot of stress to your life. If you’ve tried everything to stop a workplace bully and the situation continues on even when you’ve involved other representatives, then it is time to leave. Some might say that means you’re letting the bully win, but it’s more important to take care of your needs. Because you’re leaving due to bullying behavior, your documentation may also help you take legal action to protect your financial best interests.

Everyone deserves to work in an environment that is safe. If you are dealing with a workplace bully, then take these actions so it will eventually stop, one way or another. That way you can limit the stress you experience when it’s time to go to work.

Have you ever noticed that people treat you differently when you “dress up” for the day? You also treat yourself differently when you dress in your best. Your productivity goes up, your confidence goes up, and your self-esteem increases. That doesn’t mean you can close a deal if you’re wearing casual clothes, but it does mean that you may have a tougher journey ahead of you if you prefer hoodies and sweats to suits and ties.

If you don’t like the idea of dressing up every day for work like you’re going to a church with your grandparents, there are some small tweaks you can make to your wardrobe that can still give your these benefits. Would one of these ideas work for you?

#1. Make a small change to your accessories. Something as simple as wearing a nice watch or a favorite piece of jewelry can make all the difference in the world. Maybe you can’t afford a Rolex or 24K earrings that are studded with diamonds, but you can put on your best and rock it. If that means you’re wearing a sterling silver chain from Kohl’s, then so be it.

#2. Add one formal element to your outfit. Maybe you don’t want to wear a tie. You could choose to wear just the jacket and still get some of these benefits. You can even customize your look a little bit if you wish. If there isn’t a policy against wearing a lapel pin to work, throw on that Hydra pin you got from your Lootcrate awhile ago and see what happens.

#3. Take it up a notch for your big moments. If you’re closing a multi-million dollar deal, then dress in your very best for that day only. When you take your wardrobe up a notch for your biggest moments, you’re mentally preparing yourself for success. According to a study published by the Journal of Experimental Psychology, people who dressed in their best could earn 3x more profit on the deals they were making and required 3x fewer concessions to make it happen. If you think you can dominate, then you will.

#4. A change of color can create a change of attitude. Ever notice how looking at a beautiful green lawn can relax you? Or how looking at reds and oranges can make you feel energetic? Sometimes the easiest way to plan for success at work is think about what the color of your wardrobe says to others. There’s a reason why politicians like to wear a white shirt with a red tie. It says they are confident and can do anything. You can do the same thing.

#5. Success really comes from you. Guys like Mark Zuckerberg prove that sometimes it isn’t what you wear, but what you expect that counts. If you’re in a creative enterprise, sometimes dressing in sweats and a t-shirt is the best way to dress for success.

Even the quality of what you wear can help boost your chances of finding the success you want. Think cashmere and fine wool. Have your clothing tailored if you can. In doing so, you’ll have the confidence to close any deal – and your grandparents will think you look awesome too.

When you’re a hiring manager or part of your supervisory duties is to interview candidates for your team, then there’s a good chance that you pay attention to the first impression someone gives you. If someone comes into the interview looking tired, disheveled, or they send you a negative vibe, you probably won’t put much weight on their answers. Yet far too many hiring managers are finding that candidates are able to “fake” a good first impression, causing what ends up to be a big hiring mistake.

Just about everyone who is responsible for hiring has made a bad hire or two over the years. It can rob you of your confidence, cause long-term problems for your team, and then there’s the financial costs of training someone you end up not wanting to keep. Here’s how you can avoid the trap of only seeing one side of a candidate during an interview.

#1. Don’t focus on their traits. Focus on the candidate’s behaviors instead. Anyone with a few bucks can polish an application to make it look like a million bucks. Look at their behavioral cues to see if they match. If they say they’re energetic, is the interview room filled with positive energy? Or do you feel like you need an IV filled with scotch once you’re through?

#2. Focus on what they perceive to be failure. Questions about a candidate’s weakness or how they responded to failure are common during the interview process. The goal here is to see if the candidate was able to learn from their mistakes. If all you’re hearing is a bunch of excuses as a response, then maybe it’s time for your dog to “accidentally” chew up their application.

#3. Handling conflict is more important than being a “team player.” Every job requires some level of interpersonal interactions. Instead of talking about the need to work with others, listen for labels that they may assign to people with challenging personalities. Relationships are more complex than someone “being difficult” or “micromanaging me,” so look for complex answers about how conflict is handled for better results.

#4. Listen to the body language. It is easy to confuse confidence with arrogance. It’s also equally easy to confuse defensiveness or indifference with confidence. Sometimes the most competent people sit back, cross their arms, and listen more to what you have to say. That’s because they’re reading you to see if you’d be a good candidate as an employer. If someone is invading the space of others, not making eye contact, or disguising a smile with a sneer, then what you’ve got on your hands is an attitude of contempt. You don’t want that in the workplace.

#5. Look for something substantive. Many people are skilled enough to adapt their personality, body language, and overall attitude to what they think you’re going to want in an employee. Many managers see this and stop looking for substantive answers because they’ve been seduced by how articulate and eloquent the candidate before them happens to be. If someone can edit themselves in an interview, then they can become a very manipulative employee in your office.

The goal of an interview is to make sure you get the assessment of a potential candidate as correct as possible. We all have gut feelings that we follow and other subconscious influences that affect our choices. With these tips in mind, however, you can help to make sure that the first impression you receive is an authentic one instead of one that was created for your benefit.

Thanks to the internet, information is floating around us at levels never experienced before in human history. Despite this fact, picking up a good book to read it is still a very powerful learning experience. Instead of letting books collect on shelves, reading at least one book per week can open up the mind to new possibilities. If you don’t think you have time for reading a real book, here are some ideas to help get your started.

#1. Take an honest look at your time investments.

There’s a good chance that you could carve out at least 30 minutes for reading every day. Between social media investment, television investments, video game investments, and other entertainment options, the average person spends 3-4 hours every day looking at a screen outside of their work responsibilities. Look at where you’re investing time and you’ll be surprised how much you could dedicate to reading.

#2. Pick an author which relates to you.

Reading is more about the author-reader relationship than many realize. Think about your favorite authors right now. What was their background? What are their hobbies? What are their spirituality preferences? We all tend to read authors when we feel like the words they’ve written have a direct impact on us. To encourage more reading, pick an author that could be your best friend.

#3. Get an overview of the book first.

Many times we give up reading a book because the information seems too dense or the argument being made seems nonsensical. Being interested in what a book has to offer is the key to unlocking its potential. Take the time to look over the subtitles, the flaps, and the table of contents before committing to a full read. If you don’t agree with how the thesis of the book seems to be evolving, then put it down and find something more interesting to read.

#4. It’s fine to skim chapters and paragraphs.

Now here’s a fact that authors and publishers don’t like to share: many books have several pages of “filler content.” It’s supportive information, sometimes dialogue, but overall has very little to do with the overall thesis being presented. Skim each chapter to see if it is even worth reading. If it looks like there is some useful information available, then read the introduction and conclusion sentences of each paragraph. If those seem interesting, then read the rest of the information. Don’t waste your time reading something that you’ll forget by breakfast tomorrow.

#5. Spoil the ending.

You might not want to do this for a fiction novel, but for non-fiction books, you can pretty much sum up the entire content being presented in the first and last paragraphs that have been published. Absorb this information and you’ll have a good idea of what supporting facts are included between the beginning and ending of the book. If you find that the thesis or the conclusion are a bit worthless, then you don’t have to waste your time reading the book.

Finding time to read a book each week means finding a book that is interesting to you while carving out the time to actually read it. Follow these steps and you’ll find that the information you do take the time to read will become much more interesting.

2 out of 3 former employees of the average company say that the reason why they left their job was because they had a bad boss. Whether that perception is justified or not, it is just as important to avoid having a bad boss as it is to find a job you are passionate about to reduce the amount of stress your employment places on your life. During an interview, you’re often trying to convince a boss that you’re the best prospect for an open position, right?

But what if you took that interview opportunity to determine if that boss was the right type of supervisor for you? Bad bosses will give you red flags during an interview that can be spotted. If you can see them, then you can avoid a potentially devastating employment situation. Here are the ways you can spot a bad boss during your next interview.

#1. Listen to your gut. Most people know that a boss is going to be a bad one just by their natural instincts. The only problem is that most of us are willing to ignore this instinct because we need to earn a paycheck to support ourselves and our family. There’s a good chance that if you take a job with a bad boss, you’ll be out of work in 6 months or less anyway, so listen to your instincts. Don’t take a job your gut is telling you to avoid.

#2. Be aware of personality conflicts. Certain personalities naturally conflict with each other because of the way information is given and received. People who are more dominant will struggle to work with people who are more controlling. People who are more supportive can struggle to work with people who need tremendous amounts of information to make a decision. Know yourself and then look for cues from the boss about their personality. If you sense conflict, then get out of there because you’ll have a communication gap as long as you report to that boss.

#3. Have the interviewer describe the actual job requirements. If you ask a boss about their leadership style or direct questions about their personality, you probably won’t receive a 100% authentic answer. Interviewers are selling a job opening that they may be desperate to fill. They’ll tell you virtually anything you want to hear if they think you’re a top candidate. Ask instead about what a worker does every day in this position. Think about how you’ll learn the job. By making your questions about the job instead of the boss, you’ll both be able to get a clear picture of what you’d look like in that job.

#4. Know the company. Many candidates fail on one important step of the interviewing process: they don’t research the company. Just about everything you need to know about an open position can be found on a company’s website, through reviews on a site like LinkedIn, or even a couple of targeted Google searches. You should know before going into an interview whether or not you’ll be a good fit on that team or within that organization.

#5. Show up early and ask questions. You should always show up 15-30 minutes for an interview. This will give you the chance to meet a few folks who might be working for the boss in question already. You can ask questions about what they like and don’t like about their job so you get a clearer picture of what to expect going into your interview.

#6. Language says a lot. How a boss treats you during an interview is likely how you’ll be treated when working for them. If the boss is defensive, aggressive, or tries to dominate you during an interview, even if it’s just in body language, then you’re more likely to be treated as an expendable resource. Look for a boss that is relaxed, somewhat conversational, and willing to engage in a dialogue to avoid many common red flags that are overlooked.

By paying attention to the red flags that bad bosses send out during the interview process, you can avoid many future headaches. Keep these tips in mind during your next interview and hopefully you’ll be able to find the dream job you’ve always wanted.

It’s a question that is commonly asked during the interview process for almost every job on the planet. Hiring managers want to make sure that you’re not going to create conflict and reduce productivity. The only problem with this is that it has led to a lack of needed conflict on teams. We need to be able to openly air disagreements on ideas so the cream of the crop can rise to the surface. Conflict can actually foster better productivity.

When that conflict is not allowed, the result is team members stuffing their dissatisfaction internally. It begins to fester there, growing into a massive beast of hatred over time. Eventually these negative feelings must come out, which is when your team begins to see passive-aggressive behaviors. When you’ve reached the point of sarcastic comments and sabotage, then you’re in the danger zone of losing everything.

The good news is that it is never too late to solve the problem of passive-aggressiveness. Here’s how you can begin to stop it from rearing its ugly head starting today.

#1. Put a light on the elephant in the room. Acknowledge the feelings of dissatisfaction and hatred that people on the team are having. Take time out of your schedule, go to a neutral site, and then set ground rules about how to discuss dissension without being hurtful. Everyone on the team is valuable – otherwise they wouldn’t be there in the first place. You want all of their opinions. Make this fact known and be very clear about it.

#2. Make time for dissent in every conversation. Don’t allow dissatisfaction to be stuffed so it can fester. Ask team members in every conversation if there is some level of dissent about what is going on. You can do this by turning it into a devil’s advocate discussion. “How might someone want to criticize this idea?” or “What problems would someone potentially see if we implement this idea today?” This gives people a safe way to express their dissent without necessarily taking ownership of it, reliving the feelings of dissatisfaction.

#3. Give equal time to all opinions. Feedback is critical for a team to be consistently successful. Just because there is a dissenting opinion doesn’t mean that the dissent is incorrect. Explore that feedback and take whatever value you find out of it and use it to everyone’s advantage. You’ll always have people who want to disagree because that’s how they have fun at work, but even these folks have moments of inspiration that can be gleaned from their dissenting feedback. Take this seriously and your production levels will soar.

#4. Identify passive-aggressive behavior and confront it every time you see it. This is where many team members get into trouble. They have no problem calling out passive-aggressive behavior, but they’re not willing to offer solutions to fix the issue. When you confront this behavior, practice alternatives that are healthier for the team. Then give people a chance to express their dissent.

#5. Stop the back-channel sarcasm. This is where most efforts to reduce passive-aggressiveness tend to fail. Team members may gather for drinks after work, talk during a lunch break, or IM each other on Facebook over the weekend to feed their passive aggression. If you hear complaints outside of a team meeting, ask people to bring up their concerns there. Ask for new information. A team doesn’t have to 100% agree on everything, but they do need to be on the same page.

Passive-aggressiveness can be very costly. Not only does it cause a team to reduce their overall production, but it also creates high amounts of anxiety and stress for everyone involved. Be open, be honest, and most of all be direct about dissent and conflict when you see it and you’ll begin to reduce the passive-aggressive tendencies of your team over time.

We all have certain things that we do at work that kind of get us into trouble. It might be procrastination, or an aversion to checking voicemail, or the no-filter approach with the boss. These habits feel great in the present moment, yet seem to cause regret or even guilt when we reflect back upon them. Instead of dealing with this repetitive cycle of joy and regret, consider using these tricks to stop those bad habits that might be holding you back in your career.

#1. Use visual tactics as an advantage.

When things are closer to us, then they feel more important as a need that must be met. This is why we work harder when deadlines are close, but procrastinate when a due date is a week away. Use this trick to prioritize what needs to be done at work so distractions can be minimized. Put documents that must be read on your home page or bookmark items on a news feed so you mentally note their higher priority.

#2. Set firm boundaries with friendships.

It’s important to have a friend at work. If that friendship is getting in the way of a job that needs to get done, however, then there need to be some boundaries put into place. Your career shapes you just as much as your friends do. If they’re not willing to support these changes you feel are necessary, then some firm lines must be drawn that you will not cross.

#3. Create a schedule.

We feel good when we’re able to check stuff off of our to-do lists every day. Instead of seeing what happens each day at work, try to plan it out the evening before. Set your task priorities, schedule time for that voicemail, and stay committed to what you’ve created. This will soon become the default program for your brain’s operating system.

#4. Stick to the new habit.

Most of the issues which occur at work tend to be because of our personal choices instead of an actual lack of skill. Without skills, we wouldn’t be employed in the first place, right? If you can be consistent with the choices you make, then instead of feeling like you don’t belong at work because you aren’t getting any opportunities, you’ll feel like you’ve empowered yourself to take on the next challenge.

#5. Eliminate the four letter words from your vocabulary.

It’s the word “can’t” which you must eliminate. When you believe you won’t be able to accomplish something, then you’re setting a course toward a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s not arrogant to believe that you will succeed, especially if you’re backing up your perspective with your values, experience, and goals. What do you want to get out of each project? Decide to make things happen and they will.

You can make good things happen for your career every day at work. All you’ve got to do is identify the bad habits that could be holding you back.

You’ve just worked hard for a week on a project at work. It’s finally finished and you’ve turned it into your boss. You feel great because the work you did was awesome… except your boss thinks differently. Are you about to receive feedback that can improve your work?

Or are you just going to be criticized in some way?

Criticism is often viewed as the best way to hold people accountable, but what it really does in this instance is place the blame on someone specific. Accountability should be about delivering on a commitment or a promise instead of the foundation of a blamestorming session. It is a thoughtful process which looks to encourage people to step up their game instead of tearing them into shreds.

You can’t control how your boss will react to the project you’ve just submitted, but you can control how you provide feedback to others. Consider these options instead of getting angry the next time you feel like there was a lack of follow-through on something.

#1. Make sure there are clear expectations that have been communicated.

The most common reason why something doesn’t get done to a certain set of expectations is because no clear definitions have been set or communicated. People need to know what is expected of them to be able to achieve specific goals. If they have to guess at what needs to be done, the results will almost always be inconsistent.

#2. The right people need to be doing the job.

Would you give an employee who just started today a project that is critical to the survival of your company the moment they walk into the office? Of course not. Yet this is what happens all of the time to workers today. They are given assignments that don’t fit within their skill set, but are expected to deliver as if they have a PhD on the subject matter. Criticizing someone who did their best on a project they weren’t really capable of completing in the first place will only create resentment.

#3. Let people measure their own performance.

When clear expectations are set forth, there should also be clear measurements in place that let people track their own performance. We are always our own worst critic. We all take pride in our work. Most workers will hold themselves above the measurements that are put in place because they don’t want to think of themselves as failures. Providing advice on how to help each worker meet those expectations is the best feedback you could provide.

#4. There must be expected consequences.

Once a project has been completed, you have three options available to you: reward, repeat, or remove. If you feel like the expectations laid out weren’t clear because there was a general failure across the board, then repeat the project with a clarified set of expectations. If the job meets or exceeds your standards, then reward the workers in some way. If the work didn’t meet expectations and you were clear about what needed to be done and the assignment was given to the workers with the right skill set, then change the roles of those workers.

#5. Keep an open dialogue.

When there are open lines of communication available to people, they’re more likely to discuss the challenges they face during a project. Saying that you have an “open door policy” is a cop out. People don’t just generally approach someone if they think it might get them into trouble. You’ve got to engage people consistently to make sure an open dialogue can be achieved.

Feedback helps people to grow. Criticism tears people down. You might not know how your boss will react when you submit your work, but by using these options, you can make sure you’re giving people the feedback they need.

For the world’s most successful people, the weekend is more than an opportunity to kick back and relax. It’s the chance to invest into different priorities. Instead of going into the office, checking emails every few hours, or taking business calls, the weekend is a chance to spend time with family and friends. It’s a chance to recharge for a new week of productivity.

Why is this so important? Of course your family and friends appreciate your time. Studies have also shown that once an individual works 55 hours in a week, their productivity levels decline to virtually zero. Someone who works 70 hours per week is producing at the same levels as the person working 55 hours per week.

Yet the weekend can provide some traps that can kill your future productivity as well. Avoid these traps and you might just find success knocking at your door.

#1. Sleeping In

If you have a sleep debt which needs to be erased, then go to bed earlier on the weekend instead of sleeping in. Because you get up later than normal for 1 or 2 mornings, you’re actually resetting your biological clock. This will make it much more difficult to wake up when the alarm rings on Monday morning. Get up at the same time every day and your mind will be ready to get some work done after the weekend.

#2. A Full 2 Days

Weekends deserve some adventure. They deserve some family time. What often gets neglected is the personal time a person needs as well. Try to give yourself some personal time in the morning when your mind is the most awake. Consider adding some meditation to this time as well. Then think about scheduling a day trip or a partial day trip with family or friends instead of a weekend-long adventure for best results.

#3. No Fun

You’ve worked hard all week. You should be able to have some fun on the weekend. There will always be dishes to wash, laundry to do, and repairs around the house which need to get made. If that’s all you ever do on the weekend and you hate doing chores, then you’re not having any fun. Those chores can be set aside for awhile so you can do something relaxing or pursue something you’re passionate about. Painting, writing, composing, long walks by the beach – forget the excuses and just go do it.

#4. Staying Connected

If you’re still plugged into the rest of the world during the weekend, then there will always be the temptation to work. You might be able to fight it off for awhile, but eventually you’ll cave in. It happens to the best of us. To make the most out of your weekend, try disconnecting yourself from all of your electronic devices. Burnout quickly happens when you’re forcing yourself to be on-call 24/7.

#5. Zero Preparation

The weekend is also a great time to reflect on the accomplishments of the past week. This reflection time allows people to prepare themselves for the week ahead. You don’t need to spend a lot of time in preparation – just 30-60 minutes on a Sunday evening will do. If you can make this time happen, then you can make the coming week a little easier to navigate.

Unlocking the potential of the weekend ultimately means letting go of your professional responsibilities. Think of it as a “mini-retirement.” Sure – there will be interruptions and emergencies that happen and will need your attention. What is more important is your mindset. If you can bring all of this together and give yourself permission to let things go over the weekend, you may find your productivity levels can skyrocket.

Your boss comes over to your desk with another project that needs to get done. You’re already working on three other projects and your co-workers each only have one. “You’re the only person I trust to get this completed on time,” your boss might say. “Will you add this to your pile?”

Your boss expects you to say “Yes.” In reality, you really can say “No” and not have to worry about your job. Here’s how you can make that happen.

Make Your “No” Be Well-Reasoned

Instead of an emotional reaction to the request to do more work, think about it from a practical solution. Using the example from above, you’ve already got 3 projects on your desk. Discuss with your boss the fact that you already have a lot of work that already needs to be completed. Talk about which work needs to take a priority. You might be able to shift the other projects to take on this new one, so you end up saying both “Yes” and “No” at the same time.

By taking a well-reasoned approach, you can show your boss the scope and scale of the work you already have. There’s a good chance that they don’t realize how much is already on your plate. This new work was brought to you because you really are good at what you do. Therefore, when you communicate more about what you’ve got going on, your professional life often becomes a bit easier to manage.

Take the Emotions of Your Boss Into Account

When you tell your boss that you can’t take on a new project, the rejection is going to create negative emotions for them. If there is no empathy for this natural process, then there’s a good chance the response you get back to your “No” is, “Well… I’m your boss and I’m telling you to get this job done anyway.”

Take a moment to step into the shoes of your boss for a second. Understand the difficult position they are already in and now you’re just adding to it. By acknowledging what is happening, your boss still isn’t going to be very happy, but they can cope with the negative emotions you’re creating for them.

Offer Up a Favor or Two

Maybe you can’t take on the full project right now, but you could consult with others on it for awhile. Could you attend a planning meeting? Read the first draft once it’s completed and lend your advice? Listen to others as they brainstorm ideas for what needs to happen? If you can offer up a favor or two, then you’re still saying “No” to the massive demands of a project, but you still get to be involved in it.

With that being said, your “No” must be authentic. You might be busy with 3 projects on your plate, but what will the boss think if you’re constantly taking breaks to chat with co-workers, text on your phone, or check your Facebook status? The boss will think you’ve got extra time on your hands. If you say that you’re too busy to take on another project, make sure that the perception you give others matches up with the reality of your situation.

Saying “No” requires you to be kind, but it also requires you to be firm. Be sure of yourself. Try not to be defensive. Be honest about what you’ve got going on. Make it clear that you won’t change your